The Daily Sunday Special: Wicked, Good?
40 snips
Nov 23, 2025 
Kyle Buchanan is a pop culture reporter for The New York Times and an expert on awards season, while Madison Malone Kircher reports on internet culture and is a longtime Wicked fan. They explore the impact of the new film, Wicked: For Good, discussing the challenges of adapting its second act and how audience expectations shape the narrative. The duo debates the film's political messages, the chemistry between stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and the overall reaction from fans who have followed the franchise. They also reflect on the marketing strategies and fandom that fuel its ongoing success.
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Movie-First Fandom Emerges
- The Wicked films may create a movie-first fandom where future generations know the story primarily through film.
- Kyle Buchanan argues this clean perspective helped him assess the films' cultural reach.
Press Tour Moment Went Viral
- Madison describes the nonstop pink-and-green press tour that amplified the film beyond the movie itself.
- A viral junket moment about “holding space for Defying Gravity” turned into a meme that widened exposure.
Part Two Feels Like A Coda
- Act Two of Wicked is structurally thinner and functions like an extended coda to Part One.
- Kyle and Madison say the second film offers extra character time but lacks the first film's urgency.
